Arabs commend Iraq's proposal to retrieve stolen assets and extradite wanted individuals: Commissioner Hanoun

INA-  BAGHDAD


Judge Haider Hanoun, the commissioner of the Federal Commission of Integrity, noted that while Iraq's proposal on the return of stolen assets and the extradition of individuals wanted was praised by the Arab world, it was important to protect public funds from the corrupt's avarice.
 
"The Commissioner of the Federal Integrity Commission held several meetings with the heads of regulatory bodies in the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Qatar, and the Kingdom of Morocco participating in the fifth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Arab Convention against Corruption CoSP," reads a statement from the Integrity Commission that the Iraqi News Agency (INA) obtained.

Hanoun warned of "the seriousness of the scourge of corruption on security, economy, investment and development, and its cause of the spread of unemployment, poverty and the low level of health care" during meetings held on the sidelines of the fifth session of CoSP. He emphasized "the need to guard and control public funds from the greed of the corrupt."
 
He cited "the policy of the Iraqi state heading to consolidate relations with brotherly Arab countries in various fields, noting those countries' support and cooperation for Iraq in its quest to recover smuggled funds, extradite wanted persons, and curb corruption, alerting the Arab world to the need for a joint Arab effort through law enforcement agencies in Arab countries to combat corruption."

Noting that it "contributes to strengthening cooperation and exchange of information to recover smuggled assets and extradition of wanted persons," Major General Amr Adel, the Chairman of the Administrative Control Authority, for his part, praised "the Iraqi proposal submitted by the Commissioner of the Federal Integrity Commission, which included the establishment of the Council of Heads of Arab Law Enforcement Agencies concerned with integrity and anti-corruption."
 
Chairman of Qatar's Administrative Control and Transparency Authority Hamad bin Nasser Al-Misnad stated that he was "optimistic about the development of the relationship between the Iraqi and Qatari sides in all fields" and that he "wants to learn about the Iraqi experience and benefit from it in combating corruption, especially in the preventive aspect, especially the conflict of interest."

As for the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption in Morocco, Mohamed Bachir Rachdi, its Chairperson, cautioned that "strategies contribute to raising levels of integrity and reducing levels of corruption in public and private sector institutions," emphasizing "the importance of strategies to identify the phenomena and risks of corruption and find effective solutions to them."